I doubt anybody actually remembers this fanfiction…it's been like what…three…four months? I don't even know.

So I suppose I got some explaining to do…if anybody actually remembers this little fanfiction…

After starting this fic, I didn't think I would have nearly as much work as I did at the beginning of the school year. But with school work, and applying to colleges, other extracurricular activities, and just getting sidetracked, this fic just kept getting put off or I would write just a little bit at a time.

So here's the deal folks…I still have a lot on my plate, I hate issuing ultimatums…but alas…anyway…I can stop this fanfiction easily and never update it. Or if ya'll like it enough…let me know…I can find the time to work on it. E-mail me…leave a review…or don't do anything…it's up to you.

Anywayz…here's chapter three…after like three months…

I don't own Inuyasha.

Shards

Chapter 3

"What? What do you want me to do? I don't know if I can be much help…" Kagome said bending down in a crouching position, always slightly mindful of the short uniform skirt.

She couldn't help but be confused as well. This was a very odd occurrence. Sure she encountered demons everyday, but for a little, and most likely proud, fox demon to ask a human girl for help was just a little strange; most demons never paid any attention to her in the first place. It made this whole situation slightly suspicious; but the little youkai was so cute and she could not help but sympathize.

"There are these two demons after me! I slowed them down…but I know they're still coming! And no one else has helped me…and I know you can!" The fox demon said.

"Me! What can I do?" She asked quite surprised. She distantly heard the school bell go off. Would anyone notice her? Did she care at this point?

At her words and evident surprise, the fox demon looked quite shocked as well and a little…disheartened. "What do you mean? You're a priestess aren't you? I mean, I can definitely sense the purifying powers. It's strong enough that I could sense it without you demonstrating it."

"What are you talking about? I'm no priestess! Wait…two demons!"

"Yes! You're the one who can purify…do something!" His ears twitched and a moment of silence filled the alleyway. "They're coming!"

Before Kagome could react, she heard one of the classroom windows slam open behind her. She jumped, a little bit startled, and abruptly turned around.

"Kagome Higurashi! What are you doing? Get back inside this instant!" The teacher, who happened to be her strict second period history instructed, yelled, leaning outside the window. The faces of the class could be seen peering out from around the teacher, curious as to what the normally good-girl Kagome was doing outside skipping class.

"They're coming!" Kagome heard the little demon hiss as he pulled at her sock. She let herself take a glance down the alley from where the fox demon originally came from. Sure enough, two figures appeared, one floating, the other standing, not much could be seen about their appearances due to the distance and shadows from the building. She could tell though that they appeared very relaxed, and now that they spotted the fox demon, they seemed to be coming down the alley nonchalantly, obviously not in a rush, and letting the little fox demon advertently know that he was no threat to them. But even from the distance, Kagome could notice the swagger in their walk, a gait that showed the hunter had queried their prey.

"Miss Higurashi! Are you listening to me! Come inside now!"

Kagome winced and made a split second decision. Against all her better judgment, she bent down and picked up the little fox demon.

And without a glance back, despite the yelling, and how she knew there would be whispers from the class inside that would spread across the whole school by the next day, she sprinted toward the front of the school and away from the demons.

Later Kagome would remember that she felt somewhat compelled to take the fox demon and go, and that the feeling would not leave her alone, even after making a move with the fox demon.

But what she did know then was that she needed to go and go fast. It was a good thing that she had run late today. Bicycles went a lot faster in a crowded city, more so then many other transportation options.

He groaned, and could not help but wonder why all his senses felt blurred and dull. He could feel a dull pain around his shoulder that was growing even duller as he continued to regain his senses. His eyelids were heavy as well as the rest of his extremities.

Coherent thought finally returned to him. In truth all of this did not take more than a few seconds, but it was more than long enough for a hanyou.

Inuyasha could not keep himself from snarling as he recalled the last few invents he remembered. He had been so close…so very close. He had been holding it, the Shikon Jewel. He had been that close to the legendary power…if had not been for those priestesses. But wait, that was not right. The priestesses had stopped him, yes, but Naraku had said…Naraku!

Even as he thought this he felt pressure upon his body; something not of the priestesses, but strong nonetheless. He could break through; it would just take time, especially within his weakened state.

Inuyasha's sense of smell seemed to awaken all at once. He was suddenly aware of the human's presence near him; male, young, priestess smell on him, as well as that of a raccoon demon, ofuda…ofuda!

So that's what it was, the pressure upon him, keeping him weak to a point, and holding him down. So the young man was a monk. A strong monk it seemed, to be able to hold him. Ofuda were no problem for him to breakthrough, but this was different. This ofuda held him in place, and he could practically feel the monk's meditation state that provided more power into the ofuda.

Ah, there. Finally Inuyasha could open his eyes. Everything was blurred at first, but things slowly came into focus. A bare white room and the monk greeted his sight. The monk was infinitely more interesting then the white walls. A young man, just as he thought, with dark hair, and roguish features. He was wearing the ceremonial monk's robes, his were purple and black and in a very tradition style. What was most interesting was the staff the monk held, it didn't appear to be gilded, and the way the monk was channeling spiritual power into the staff and then into the ofuda was very different from how most monks operated. Very few had staffs, and of the ones Inuyasha knew, none of them appeared to be anywhere near as adept with it as this monk appeared.

And while Inuyasha could not help but take this in, he also could not stop the anger building inside. He had been humiliated and tricked. And that was unacceptable.

He let out a growl of anger just as the monk got up out of his meditative pose. The monk was done obviously. Now that he wasn't putting more power into the ofuda, it would just be a matter of time before Inuyasha could break out of it.

"Well, well…Inuyasha is it?" The monk said coolly.

"What does it matter to you?" Inuyasha snapped back.

"Actually, it doesn't." The monk remained calm. He approached Inuyasha, moving fluidly, calm, with a purpose. "What does matter is what you know. And that's why I'm here…tell me what you know of the demon Naraku." He said sharply, placing the end of his staff down near Inuyasha's head. It was obvious the monk was trying to shake his senses of dominance by standing over him, giving the monk the apparent position of power.

Inuyasha could not stop a smirk coming to his. "Naraku a demon? You are an idiot you damn monk. Naraku is a half-demon."

"What? But that means that…" The monk trailed off looking at his hand cloth covered hand for some reason. "No matter, all I need to know it appears is some of the knowledge you possess."

"What makes you think I'm going to help you?" He could feel the ofuda slowly loosing power…good. All he had to do was keep the monk busy for another minute. He could already move his legs and arms to some extent but kept them still to not draw the monk's attention.

"I'm the one with power here Inuyasha." The monk abruptly whacked him in the head with his staff.

"What did you do that for? Damn monk…" Inuyasha said, fighting the urge to reach a hand up to rub his head. "But is that the best you can do?" He challenged.

"No." The monk said shortly. That simple answer told Inuyasha what he wanted. There was something that the monk could do, but for whatever reason he wasn't going to. Inuyasha smirked. He was going to make the monk pay for that.

"Feh, whatever." Inuyasha feigned ignorance over the monk's answer. If only he could break lose…ah wait…there. He had to fight down a smile so as not to alert the monk who was obviously distracted if the ofuda's power fell this quick.

"Now do I have to ask again…" The monk crouched down, holding his staff out over Inuyasha. "Tell me what-agh!"

Inuyasha had sprung into action, moving rather sluggishly from the ofuda, he still managed to pin the surprised monk up against a wall. He held the monk by his robes with one hand, the monk's feet above the floor, one hand automatically clutching at the arm supporting him, the other still clenching his staff, and used the other hand to threaten the monk with his claws. There was a moment of surprise on the monk's face and then a grin.

"Get that damn grin off your face!" Inuyasha growled. "Now give me one reason not to kill you."

"All I have to do is yell, and three priestesses will come running in and send you back into unconsciousness." The monk smirked.

"I don't doubt you about the priestesses, but for whatever reason you're bluffing. You aren't going to call them. I can smell it." Inuyasha said, shifting the monk away from the wall and then slamming him back into.

The monk winced and then looked almost apolegtic. "Heh…have it your way."

Inuyasha only had a moment to contemplate how deranged the monk appeared with that expression in the situation he appeared. "Ow! Damn…ugh…" He gritted his teeth, the pain automatically making him drop the monk, who fell to the floor gracefully on his feet.

Inuyasha growled, flexing his hands, his claws still sharp on the end. "Damn you monk! That was cheap, if only I wasn't so weak from earlier! I'm going to enjoy making you pay!"

He received a solid whack in the head from the monk's staff at that comment. "It's not my fault you left your legs open and that I still held onto my staff. You're very careless." The monk replied and then pressed his attack.

The space in the room was very limited, and due to his weakened state, Inuyasha could not react to this attacking monk as he would to someone normally pressing his patience. Instead, he fell into a very defensive stance. Blocking the monk's swings with the staff and then trying to punch back in return. The monk was very fast however, and skillful. Inuyasha had yet to land a solid hit.

A few more glancing blows transpired. Inuyasha had to acknowledge the fact that despite his normal prowess in a fight, the monk had the upper hand. His staff gave him a longer reach, and the room was already small enough, and Inuyasha was still feeling quite weak from earlier. Despite all of this however, he felt that if he could land one solid hit on the monk, he could easily subdue him.

And there it was. The monk had over swung the staff, Inuyasha ducked under it easily, drawing back his fist, ready for the punch. He came up out of his duck, threw the punch at the monk's open right shoulder. The monk however anticipated this, and it quickly became obvious that the staff was over swung on purpose. The monk rolled his shoulder back so again the blow just glanced off. Inuyasha, had to step through with the punch because of the weight he put into it, and now he was open for an attack. He felt the monk's blow land on his back, making him stumble forward. And then Inuyasha felt rather than saw the monk moving back against the opposite wall. Curious as to why the monk was not pressing his attack with the obvious advantage, he turned around.

The monk stood with his heels firmly rooted to the floor. His right arm was extended straight out, rigid and tense. His hand faced up, palm showing. His left hand clenched the rosary wrapped around his right, ready to remove it.

"What the hell are you doing?" Inuyasha demanded, bewildered, but still took a menacing step forward.

"I'm giving you a fair warning. Come any closer and you'll be sucked into oblivion. I just want some questions answered."

"You make no sense monk, I should kill you now." Inuyasha growled, flexing his claws.

"But you won't, because I'm not bluffing and you can sense it. Don't make me do this…but if I don't get my questions answered I make no promises about what my kazaana might do to you." The monk said quite calmly.

"A wind tunnel…How did you end up with something like that?" Inuyasha said, still a little unsure about this threat.

"Heh…that has to do with what I want to ask you." A slight smile came across the monk's face, but his stance was still as ready as ever. But then at his next words, his face turned dark, "First, tell me, you obviously know something of Naraku…"

"You're in league with him aren't you! Feh, I should have known, who else would send somebody here to kill me…" Inuyasha interrupted. "I should kill you now."

"Don't be hasty." The monk spat out. "I would never be in league with him. He gave me this curse…the kazaana." He gritted his teeth. "Obviously I also assumed the worst with you as well…" The monk sighed. "I guess you don't work with him either." He then shrugged. "So I guess there is no need to fight after all. If you are an enemy of Naraku, then you are an ally of mine." The monk relaxed his stance; he bent down to pick up his staff that he had dropped sometime in all of the activity, leaving himself fully opened for attack.

But Inuyasha could not bring himself to attack. Despite the fact that this all seemed too much of a coincidence all of the sudden, he knew the monk was not lying. Instead, he settled for a frustrated growl.

The monk settled himself on the floor. "Sit down Inuyasha, there is much I want to know, and much that you could tell me…mostly about Naraku of course, and I'm sure I know something that could be advantageous for you."

"Sit down! Monk, what are you babbling about? I have to get out of here. I am at the temple right?"

"Okay…look just wait a second, let me think." The monk said bringing his hand to his chin.

"Well hurry up! I don't have all day." Inuyasha 'humphed.'

"Alright, if you don't work for Naraku…"

"I don't." Inuyasha snorted

"…and if you tell me what you know about him…then I'll get you out of here."

"Feh. Why should I depend on you? I am a half-demon you know."

"You wouldn't make it out of here without me…there are priestesses all over the place, not to mention the ones standing right outside of your door.

"Okay fine, if you get me out of here I'll tell you what you want to know about Naraku. It isn't much…but whatever."

"Good, now give me just one moment." And with a smirk, the monk swept out of the room.

"There it is!"

"Hold! It's got followers!"

"Damn, is that thing ugly or what?"

Sango smirked in battle anticipation. She could practically feel the energy radiating off the other slayers. She glanced at Kohaku, who had gone white in the face at the appearance of the demon.

"Kohaku. I'm right here. Father's right there. Your friends and others you know are all around you. Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine." Sango said with a reassuring smile.

Kohaku managed a shaky smile back at her, but gulped just the same.

"Slayers! Let's see it! Attack!" Their father roared and gave the signs of advancement.

Sango patted Kirara's head before the firecat soared into the air, following the other exterminators.

The others buzzed through her and Kohaku who still had not moved. Sango let them go; she would join the fray in a moment.

"Use your instincts. You will be fine. Let's go." She said with a nod o f her head. She moved on, trusting her brother to follow her.

Sango was at the tail end of the fight. The demon was a huge, of the spider variety, an ugly piece of work to be suer, something that not all slayers were equipped to handle so many of them contented themselves with fighting the lesser demons. She moved in to help the few targeting the spider youkai, passing by other skirmishes with lesser demons as the slayers came out on top.

The injuries the youkai was receiving were negligible. Her father had inflicted a wound or two, while one of the other slayers had also cut off one of the demon's extremities, a long tentacle-like leg. This was not doing much to slow down the demon however, as one of the slayers charged in, weapon raised, only to be sent flying back near Sango, by the demon. Sango paused for a moment to check on the exterminator. He was merely stunned, so with a light touch on his shoulder, she moved on.

Kohaku followed her; he gave a gulp as he passed by the slayer. Sango acknowledged him with a glance. He was focused entirely on the big demon in front of them. Out of the corner of her eye, Sango saw an approaching demon. Pushing down that brief rise of panic, at seeing who the demon was targeting, she let out a yell.

"Kohaku! Left! To your left!"

His eyes widened briefly, but he readied his kursarikama, the blade gleaming in the pale moonlight. And with something akin to the fluid grace that Sango recognized in herself and in her father, he let the blade fly. It sliced easily through the demon, decapitating it, as he yanked the chain back toward himself, easily catching the handle of the blade.

Sango gave a smile, as Kohaku looked to her grinning, appearing quite pleased with himself. She nodded toward the spider demon and the slayers fighting it, and his grin became something of that steely glare she saw her father give. Sango took off at a sprint, taking out a few of the lesser demons as she approached the spider youkai.

She heard Kirara roaring in the distance, felt the lesser demons dying around her. Now it was time to end this. And there was her opening. The other slayers had backed off the spider demon, and all of the sudden Kirara was there flying besides her. In a graceful leap, she was on Kirara's back, Hiraikotsu held ready in her right hand. She looked down briefly at Kohaku, wanting to see what he would do now. He kept sprinting, dispatching a few demons on the way. He was heading toward her father she could see that now, and then Sango turned her attention back toward the now rapidly approaching spider demon.

The demon's monstrous head turned its attention toward her in the air. Kirara dodged a swiping leg easily, and then flew under the belly of the demon. Sango raised Hiraikotsu, and heard the demon let out a hair-raising shriek as she inflicted a wound on its underbelly.

Kirara then flew out from underneath and quickly climbed into the air. The firecat spun around abruptly, and flew back over the back of the demon. Sango took this as her cue, and flipped down from Kirara landing on the youkai's back in a crouch. She stepped lightly on the demon's back, keenly aware of its attempts to shake her off as it moved beneath her feet.

Sango kept her balance though, approaching the head of the demon. Once atop of its head, she readied the Hiraikotsu for the killing blow. She kept her balance as the yoaki let out a shriek and bucked its head.

But with her intense concentration on the demon below her, Sango failed to pick up on one of the approaching lesser demons until it was too late. The demon collided with her side, sending her tumbling over the spider demon's head.

Sango, however, grabbed the short hair on the head, thankful that it was hair and not an exoskeleton of sorts where she had been standing. She had also managed to hook Hiraikotsu's cloth band around her arm, so that instead of dropping to the ground below, it hung awkwardly from her arm, making it even harder to pull herself back up. However, she preferred this difficulty over the other option having it far away on the ground below, susceptible to being broken.

The spider demon let out a roar as it felt her dangling from the side. Sango was aware of the shouts below from the other slayers.

"Okay…okay…what to do Sango…you can't obviously hang here forever…" She murmured to herself. "Where is Kirara?"

She looked around as best as she could and spotted the firecat a ways away fighting amidst many other demons. There would not be any help coming from there for awhile.

"This is extremely uncomfortable...time for another daredevil stunt I guess…not good…"

She reached down with one arm and grabbed her rarely used handgun at her waist.

"Gods…this is going to kill me."

Author's Notes

I originally wasn't going to end it here…but I really like this ending…so yeah…cliffhangerishy.

Remember…it will be up to ya'll…the readers…if you want this to continue or let it stay a cliffhanger forever.

Again, I really hate having to do this. I enjoy writing…but I have a lot of other things going on. I can easily stop…however, part of me wants to continue, and it might just take a little convincing.

E-mail me, leave a review, or whatever if you have any questions, complaints, comments, flames, etc…

I hate it when it looks like I'm fishing for reviews. Honestly I'm not...but yeah...

pink shoelace